News

KC survey reveals details on the health of pedigree dogs

12th April 2016 - 3:00 PM

The Kennel Club has released a summary report and breed specific
reports from its 2014 Pedigree Breed Health Survey, the results of
which will help the Kennel Club to make further evidence-based
decisions to improve dog health.

The survey was the largest of its kind, reaching out to 385,000
owners of Kennel Club registered dogs, from 215 Kennel Club
recognised dog breeds. The aim was to find the most prevalent
conditions currently affecting live dogs and the most common causes
of death and reasons for euthanasia.

Responses were received from owners of 191 breeds. These
represented 43,207 living dogs and 5,684 deceased dogs.

Over 65 per cent of live dogs were reported to have been
unaffected by any disease conditions. Where disease conditions were
reported, the most common conditions affecting live dogs were
lipoma, skin cysts, hypersensitivity (allergic) skin disorders,
arthritis & otitis externa (ear infection).

The most frequently reported causes of death were old age,
unspecified cancer, unknown conditions, heart failure & kidney
failure. The average life span was 10 years.

The 2014 Pedigree Breed Health Survey was conducted ten years on
from the 2004 Purebred Dog Health Survey and was intended to
provide, where possible, an idea of where progress has been made,
where it still needs to be made, and how it is best to make
appropriate changes.

The information collected from the survey will assist in
prioritising health concerns for pedigree breeds as a whole, as
well as on a breed by breed basis. It is hoped that this data will
help everyone from owners and breeders to vets and researchers to
identify any potentially inherited conditions across different
breeds and help improve the health of future generations of
dogs.

The summary and breed specific reports are available
here. The Kennel Club hopes to publish a more in-depth study of
the results later in the year as a scientific paper.